Reciprocating slat conveyors basically comprise elongated slats which are divided into sets and groups. A popular reciprocating slat conveyor is composed of three sets and a number of groups which start on one side of the conveyor and extend over to the other conveyor. Each group includes one slat from each set. That is, group I starts with a slat from set I, followed by a slat from set II that is followed by a slat from set III. This pattern is repeated from group-to-group across the width of the conveyor. All of the slats are driven together in a conveying direction for an interval of travel (the stroke length). At the end of the stroke, the slats are stopped and are then returned to a start position, one set at a time. When all of the slats are back to a start position, the cycle is repeated. An example drive assembly is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,469, granted Dec. 27, 1988, to Raymond K. Foster. This patent presents a very comprehensive description of the operation of the drive mechanism and the way it moves the slats of the conveyor. The contents of U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,469 is hereby incorporated herein by this specific reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,322, granted Sep. 5, 1995, to Raymond K. Foster, discloses a system of plastic conveyor slats and metal support beams for the slats.
German Patent Publication DE 3,731,612 A1, published Sep. 19, 1987, and naming Albert Rappen as inventor, discloses a conveyor slat (FIG. 12) which may be constructed from plastic and a support frame which may be constructed from metal.
An object of the present invention is to provide a reciprocating slat conveyor that is an improvement on all of the above discussed prior art conveyors.
An object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor composed of a plurality of longitudinal support beams which can be easily and quickly bolted or riveted to subframe members and conveyor slats that can be easily and quickly snapped into a position on the support beams.